Dubious Dubai: The Towers We Will Never See

One of the sad things about the recent demise of the construction boom in Dubai is that we will no longer have so many wonderful architectural renderings to show. Some come from talented starchitects jumping through architectural hoops; others like the amazing confection that was Falcon City, feature the Eiffel Tower, pyramids and hanging gardens of Babylon. Sigh, so many glories that will never be built.

The beach will have a network of pipes beneath the sand containing a coolant that will absorb heat from the surface. The swimming pool will be refrigerated and there are also proposals to install giant blowers to waft a gentle breeze over the beach. [They correctly noted:] The scheme is likely to infuriate environmentalists.

Another technological tour de force is the elegant Seawater Vertical Farm from Studiomobile. They tell us that “the seawater vertical farm uses seawater to cool and humidify greenhouses and to convert sufficient humidity back in to fresh water to irrigate the crops.” More: Vertical Farm in Dubai Uses Seawater

At one point we quoted Rachel Noble of Tourism Concern: “Dubai is like a bubble world where the things that are worrying the rest of the world, like climate change, are simply ignored so that people can continue their destructive lifestyles.” And unfortunately like all bubbles, it eventually burst. We shall not see the likes of it again for some time.

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5 Comments

Depending on the output of the Vertical Farm, I can see where that might actually get built someday–it’s useful!

And what’s to keep someone from implementing some of these designs elsewhere, someday?

CRCurranDecember 4, 2009 at 6:37 pm

I don’t wish ill on anyone but Dubai is a place that shouldn’t be. It uses slave labor and vast resources that have been expended to create it and maintain it. Despite some of the eco buildings that have been designed, it is all green washing when you consider the city as a whole.

davidwayneosedachDecember 4, 2009 at 1:02 pm

I’ve only been to Dubai once and let me tell you I loved skiing in their indoor ski area. As for your feature I hope I live long enough to see some of those exotic designs become reality! I particularly like Falcon City. I would like to think that the Eifel tower was an exact replica of the one in Paris!